Page 42 of Seeking Evil

“Nice. What got you into climbing?”

Dawn stopped. “How did you know I’m a climber?”

“Because I am. That’s how he got me. I was coming back from a climb when my vehicle died.”

“Same.”

They started walking again, the flashlight beam bouncing off the walls that seeped water. The place smelled dank, and Sierra didn’t want to think about what else might be living in the tunnel.

“You think he did something to our vehicles?” Dawn asked.

Sierra hadn’t thought about it before, but it made sense. “Probably. He’s obviously targeting female climbers.”

“Why? Does he have a connection to the sport?”

“I don’t know.” The cold dampness of the space sank through her clothing. The jagged rocks covering the ground felt sharp through her shoes.

“I’m supposed to get married in four months,” Dawn told her, and her voice broke. “That jerk took my engagement ring.”

Sierra remembered seeing the ring in Dawn’s box. “I saw it. When this is over, we’ll come back and get it.”

Dawn nodded. “I want to marry my fiancé. I don’t want to die here. Blake didn’t want me to come here alone, but I had to prove I could do it myself.” She sobbed. “I wished I’d listened to him.”

Sierra thought about Zeke. “I’ve made my own mistakes. I have someone who loves me, but I tried to make him do what I wanted and when I wanted, instead of waiting for him to be ready. I just want the chance to tell him I’m sorry.”

Dawn squeezed her arm. “You’ll get that chance. We’ll both get our futures. I believe that.”

Sierra smiled. “We’ll keep fighting. You and I will get through this. And I want to meet your fiancé when we do.”

Dawn giggled. “You’re invited to the wedding. As long as you bring your guy.”

“Deal.”

They started walking again.

“Did you see those women in the barrels?”

Sierra swallowed. “I did. They went missing about twenty-five years earlier. Most were climbers.”

“Oh, God. He’s been doing this that long?”

“Not exactly. It appears he took a twenty-five-year hiatus for some reason. Something must have happened in his life, probably his marriage to Maggie. Did Henry ever call his partner by name?” She wanted to gather as much evidence as she could to nail the two responsible for the murders of those girls in the barrel.

“No, I don’t think so. . .” Dawn frowned. “Wait, I did hear him refer to the person as T.”

Sierra tried not to be disappointed.

“That will give us something to start with.” But there were a lot of people whose name starts with T. Was it short for a first name or last?

Sierra thought about what Dawn had said earlier. Did Henry and his partner first start their rampage here in Pinedale? That type of violence didn’t just emerge late in life. She was pretty sure there would be other bodies attributed to Henry and the other person.

Once Sierra was free and back with her team, she planned to find out the truth. She wanted to understand everything there was to know about the man who had tried to kill her.

Chapter Sixteen

One thing Zeke noticed right away. “There’s no garage or barn. Where’s Irv’s truck?”

Megan spun around. “Behind the house?” They rounded the side of the house but there wasn’t a vehicle. “I’m calling Patrick. Maybe Florence is sending us on a wild goose chase.”

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